www.grand-slam.nl	Baseball
	Headlines

Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2017 by Marco Stoovelaar

(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen, Robert Bos & Mirande Phernambucq) Neptunus captures fifth consecutive title with comeback-victory Nederlands AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - Curaçao Neptunus came from behind on Sunday (October 8) against L&D Amsterdam Pirates to win 6-5 in Game 5 and win the best-of-seven Holland Series, 4-1. With that, Neptunus captured its fifth consecutive Dutch Championship-title and its 18th in club-history. Neptunus became the 96th overall champion after Amsterdam-based Quick was the first in 1922. ...The players of Neptunus celebrate the Championship... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) When the ninth inning began, Amsterdam led 4-2, but the team again failed to hold onto a lead. Neptunus rallied for four runs in the top of the ninth to turn the game its way. Shaldimar Daantji walked and 16-year old pinch-hitter Ruendrick Piternella delivered a basehit. With two runners on base and one out, a costly error led to a run, then Stijn van der Meer singled in the tying run. A basesloaded walk for Gianison Boekhoudt gave Neptunus the lead and a force play-grounder by Dwayne Kemp added an insurance run. Amsterdam was able to score only one more run itself in its ninth at bat and was left empty-handed. Again, as a exactly a year ago, Neptunus also won the Holland Series against Amsterdam. For Amsterdam, today was its third home loss of the Series, which is something that not happened earlier in the Holland Series-history. The Series opened on Thursday, September 28. Amsterdam then was the better team and led 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but lost 5-4 in Rotterdam. On the following Saturday, Neptunus handed Amsterdam a big 12-0 shutout-loss in Game 2 of the Final in the Dutch capital. On Sunday, in Rotterdam, Amsterdam Pirates led 2-0 halfway the seventh inning, but trailed 3-2 when the ninth inning began. The team then rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth to win 7-3. Last Thursday-evening, the fourth game was played in Amsterdam. Neptunus then nipped Pirates 3-2 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Final. On Saturday, the fifth game rained out and was re-scheduled for Monday-evening. However, that game is not needed anymore, as Neptunus decided the Final today. This years Holland Series was another good one between Neptunus and Amsterdam Pirates. In 2014, the two teams also faced each other and the Final needed all seven games for the first time since 1989. Three years ago, Amsterdam Pirates led 3-1 in the best-of-seven, but Neptunus then won the next three games to win the title. Last year, when Neptunus and Amsterdam also met, the Series needed six games, which was only the third time that a sixth game was needed to crown the Champion. A year ago, it was Neptunus that took a 3-1 lead, but Amsterdam then forced a sixth game, which was won by Neptunus. This year, Neptunus again led 3-1 and Amsterdam again came close to forcing a sixth game. But this time, Neptunus ended the Series in five games. (October 8) Fifth game Holland Series canceled. (October 7) Neptunus nips Amsterdam Pirates in 4th game Holland Series. (October 5) Amsterdam rallies in 9th inning to win Game 3 Holland Series. (October 1) Neptunus records big shutout-win in 2nd game Holland Series. (September 30) Neptunus trails, then wins Series-opener on wild pitch! (September 28) Final Standings Holland Series Final Standings Championship Pool Final Standings Regular Season

IN MEMORIAM ...Eberhard van der Laan... (1955 - 2017) (© Photo: Mirande Phernambucq; published with permission of Municipality Amsterdam) Before the start of the game, there was a minute of silence in honor of Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, who passed away on Thursday (October 5) at age 62. Eberhard van der Laan became the Mayor of Amsterdam on July 7, 2010 and became much-loved by the citizens of the capital since then, but also outside the city. After having worked as a lawyer from 1982 until 2008, Van der Laan became the Minister for Housing, Communities and Integration on November 14, 2008 in the fourth Cabinet led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. He held this position through February 23, 2010 when the Cabinet fell. Van der Laan began his political career in the eighties as an assistant to Amsterdam alderman Jan Schaefer. By the way, Schaefer had been active in baseball for several years as a coach in the Dutch big league. From 1990-1998, Van der Laan was a member of the Amsterdam Municipal Council, then became the Chairman of the local Labour Party in 1993. He left politics in 1998 and became a full-time lawyer. On June 23, 2010, Van der Laan was nominated to become the Mayor of Amsterdam. On January 27, 2017, it was revealed that Van der Laan had terminal lung cancer, but he continued working and kept fullfilling his duties as Mayor. On September 18, he published a letter to the citizens of Amsterdam telling them that all options of treatment had been exhausted and he would take a leave of absence effective immediately. Since then, the mayoral tasks were taken over by Deputy Mayor Kajsa Ollongren.

...Players, coaches and staff-members of Amsterdam Pirates observe... ...a minute of silence before the start of the game... ...in remembrance of Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan.. (© Photo: Henk Seppen)

Most Championship-titles, Clubs Titles Club 18 Neptunus 12 Haarlem Nicols 9 Blauw-Wit, Sparta 6 OVVO 5 SC Haarlem, Kinheim, Schoten 4 Ajax, Pirates This was the 30th Holland Series in history. The first was played in 1987, then there was no Series in 1988, but from 1989, the championship has been decided each year with a Holland Series. This was the sixth Holland Series in which Neptunus and Amsterdam Pirates faced each other. The two teams met in the very-first Series in 1987, which was then a best-of-three and won by Amsterdam (2-1). In 1990, Amsterdam swept Neptunus 3-0 in what was then a best-of-five. Since 2010, when the format became a best-of-seven again for the first time since 1989, the two teams played against each other four times. All four Series (2010, 2014, 2016-2017) were very attractive with some close games, but Neptunus won all four. ...Neptunus Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma... ...with the Championship Shield... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) Neptunus captured the title led by a new Head Coach. After having won four consecutive titles, Neptunus parted with Head Coach Evert-Jan 't Hoen after last season. He was succeeded by Ronald Jaarsma, who had been the 3B Coach of L&D Amsterdam Pirates for four years. Jaarsma briefly had been the Interim Head Coach of HCAW during part of the 2011 season, but now led a team for the first time in a full season. Jaarsma became the tenth coach to win the title via the Holland Series in his first full season as Head Coach. Two others also won the title while being the Head Coach for the first time of a team, but they already had been active as a Head Coach somewhere else. The last coach to do so was Evert-Jan 't Hoen when he won with Neptunus in his first season in 2013. It marked the third in history that a team wins five consecutive titles. The first team that captured five consecutive Championship-titles was Amsterdam-based OVVO, which was the best in 1949-1953. Neptunus then not only tied that record, it also broke by winning seven consecutive titles in 1999-2005. And now, Neptunus became the first team to win the title in five consecutive years twice. Most Championship-titles, Cities Titles City 33 Amsterdam 32 Haarlem 27 Rotterdam 2 Bussum 1 The Hague 1 Hoofddorp The championship of Neptunus was the 27th captured by a Rotterdam-based club. With 18 titles, Neptunus is the most successful Rotterdam-based club, however, the most successful baseball-cities remain Amsterdam and Haarlem. Amsterdam leads the list with 33 titles, while Haarlem follows closely with 32. In 1922, Amsterdam-based Quick won the first title. Since then, 96 clubs have been crowned Dutch champion, coming from only six different cities. Amsterdam, Haarlem and Rotterdam combined won 92 of these championships! The 96 titles have been won by 21 different teams. Nine of the came from Amsterdam, seven from Haarlem and only two from Rotterdam. For Neptunus, this was the 17th time that it won the title via the Holland Series. The Rotterdam-club won its first title when the seasons were not concluded with the Championship Final. It was the 23rd time that Neptunus played in the Series.

...Players, coaches and staff-members of Neptunus celebrate the Championship-title... ...Back: Wim Martinus (1B Coach), Berry van Driel, Diegomar Markwell, Gianison Boekhoudt,... ...Jan Tomek, Shaldimar Daantji, Stijn van der Meer, Ruar Verkerk, Loek van Mil, Darryl Collins,... ...Den Seelbach, Elton Koeiman (Pitching Coach) and Orlando Yntema... ...Front: Alex Parengkuan (Physical Therapist), Ruendrick Piternella, Brian Raap, Daniel Fernandes,... ...Ronald Jaarsma (Head Coach), Benjamin Dille, Misja Harcksen, Dwayne Kemp, Gregory Muller,... ...Tony (bat-boy), Kevin Kelly, Jochem Koedijk, Michel Streur (Media) and Jan Collins (Bench Coach)... (© Photo: Henk Seppen)

It was Amsterdam Pirates that struck first, taking an early lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The home team added a run in the sixth inning, but the final three at bats of the game belonged to Neptunus, which staged another late comeback. On Saturday, it had rained almost the entire day, resulting in the cancelation of the game in Rotterdam. In the late afternoon, work was done on the playing-site in Amsterdam to prepare the field for today, as water was removed. However, today also began with some rain, but the game started on time, which was 30 minutes earlier than the initial scheduled starting time. As a result of the change in starting time, some spectators arrived later at the field. In the top of the first inning, Amsterdam-starter Kevin Heijstek retired the first two batters he faced. He then gave up a single by Gianison Boekhoudt, but he stranded on first base. After completion of the top half of the inning, an 8-minute rain-delay followed. When then game resumed, Amsterdam was productive off of starter Orlando Yntema. Remco Draijer led off with a walk, then moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Zerzinho Croes. Moments later, Draijer scored the first run on a single by Gilmer Lampe, who himself advanced on the throw to the plate, then was able to move to third base when catcher Gianison Boekhoudt made an error. Kalian Sams followed with a sacrifice fly to bring in Lampe and made it a 2-0 score. With two outs, Kenny Berkenbosch and Linoy Croes both singled to keep the rally going. However, it ended when Croes was forced out on second base on a grounder by Nick Urbanus. Neptunus was also silenced by Heijstek in the next five innings. The righthander limited Neptunus to five hits in six innings and allowed only three runners to get into scoring position. ...Zerzinho Croes makes an out.. ...for Amsterdam in the 1st inning... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) Trailing 2-0, Neptunus was retired in order in the second inning, but then got its lead-off hitter on base in the third at bat in a costly play. Muller hit the ball towards short stop Zerzinho Croes, who was about to field it, but third baseman Jesse Aussems also went after the ball. A hard collision followed and both players fell down. The two continued playing, while Muller reached first base with an infield-hit. The American advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Jochem Koedijk, but then was left behind. Stijn van der Meer flied out and Benjamin Dille lined out to Croes. However, when the top of the fourth inning began, Croes didn't return, as he got injured in the collision. That resulted in some defensive changes in the infield. Second baseman Nick Urbanus took over as short stop, while Aussems moved to second base. Croes was replaced by Rashid Gerard, who became the new third baseman. Despite the collision and a runner in scoring position, Neptunus was held scoreless and Amsterdam hold onto the lead. However, Pirates not only lost solid infielder Croes, but also a productive hitter. Croes was the second best hitter in the team during the Series with a .353 average and batted in seven runs. Heijstek retired the side again in the fourth, then gave up two hits in the fifth inning. With one out, Ruar Verkerk (infield-hit) and Gregory Muller both singled. Verkerk moved to third base on a flyout, but the two runners would strand at the corners. In the sixth, Benjamin Dille led off for Neptunus with a single. The Belgian player, who was recovering from a leg-injury, had been the team's designated hitter in the first three games, but returned to his familiar position at second base last Thursday. With one out, he was forced out on a grounder by Dwayne Kemp. Dille was forced out thanks to a nice play by short stop Nick Urbanus who picked up the ball in time after second baseman Jesse Aussems lost control. Moments later, Kemp became the third Neptunus-runner to get into scoring position when he stole second base after getting in a run-down after a pick-off, which wasn't played that well by the Amsterdam-defense and ended in another collision. Kemp was left behind on second base. After Amsterdam scored twice in the first inning, it got into scoring position again in the third at bat. Gilmer Lampe led off with an infield-hit and advanced on a wild pitch. But hereafter, Orlando Yntema retired the next three hitters. Amsterdam was retired in order in the fourth and fifth inning, but added another run in the sixth. After having retired eleven batters in a row, Yntema walked Linoy Croes with two outs in the sixth. He went on to score the third Amsterdam-run when Nick Urbanus followed with a double. Urbanus stranded on second base when Jesse Aussems grounded out. And so, the first six innings belonged to Amsterdam Pirates, which led 3-0. But from the seventh inning on, the game started to turn the way of Neptunus. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Ruar Verkerk singled for Neptunus and advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on the third single this afternoon by Gregory Muller. Moments later, Muller also got into scoring position after a wild pitch, then advanced to third base when Jochem Koedijk flied out. Stijn van der Meer followed with a double that brought in Muller and made it a 3-2 score. It also led to a pitching change, as Kyle Ward took over from Kevin Heijstek. He got an inning-ending grounder, but Amsterdam now led by only one run. ...Orlando Yntema hands the ball... ...to Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) Amsterdam reacted immediately in the bottom of the seventh inning and appeared to score what would be an 'insurance run'. Max Clarijs led off with a double, moved to third base on a grounder by Remco Draijer and scored on a sacrifice fly by Rashid Gerard. Gilmer Lampe followed with a bunt-single, but hereafter, powerhitter Kalian Sams flied out.Kenny Berkenbosch flied out, closer Loek van Mil took over from Orlando Yntema and struckout the next two hitters. And so, the ninth inning began with Amsterdam leading 4-2 and needing three outs to force a sixth game. However, Neptunus rallied for four runs to take a 6-4 lead! Shaldimar Daantji led off with a walk, then 16-year old Ruendrick Piternella entered the game as pinch-hitter for Ruar Verkerk. The rookie singled into right-centerfield. While Daantji ran towards third base, rightfielder Kalian Sams made a strong throw, which resulted in a close play, but 3B Umpire Henri van Heijningen made the correct call. Sams started in rightfield today, instead of Danny Rombley, who didn't start the game. ,,That was a choice I made for this game'', Amsterdam Head Coach Charles Urbanus explained. ,,I make my line-ups based on the opposing pitching and other factors. Today, I wanted to have Linoy Croes in the line-up. We have the luxury to have several good players on our bench and sometimes, you have to make choices.'' After reaching first base, Piternella was replaced by another rookie, Darryl Collins, who also is only 16 years old. Piternella made his debut in the debut during the Championship Pool, while Collins played in two games late in the regular season. After a foul-out, Jochem Koedijk hit the ball towards third baseman Rashid Gerard, who fielded the ball while sliding, then made a throwing error towards first base. That was costly, as Daantji scored to make it a 4-3 score. Koedijk, who slid head-first into first base, was credited with an infield-hit and advanced to second base on the throwing error. However, a good throw would have eliminated Koedijk at first base. Daantji would have scored anyway, as he left on contact, but Amsterdam would have had two outs instead of one. In the meantime, Collins also had been able to advance an additional base and was now on third base. With first base open, it was not opted to walk Stijn van der Meer intentionally to set up a force play. Van der Meer, who had doubled in a run in the seventh inning, now lined the ball into centerfield for a runscoring single that brought in Collins and tied the score. Koedijk advanced to third base and Van der Meer took second base on the throw. That led to a pitching change, as Dennis Burgersdijk took over from Kyle Ward. With first base open again, Benjamin Dille was walked intentionally and that brought in lefthander Nick Veltkamp to face lefthanded hitting Gianison Boekhoudt. Veltkamp walked Boekhoudt, which gave Neptunus a 5-4 lead and another pitching change followed. On Boekhoudt's walk, the go-ahead run was scored by Jochem Koedijk, who played a valuable role in two crucial comeback-victories. In the opening game, he drove in the runs that tied the score with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Today, his hit in this inning led to a run, which kept the rally going and he then scored the go-ahead run himself. Koedijk, who played in his first season for Neptunus, led the team in the Holland Series with five runs scored and was the second-best hitter with a .429 batting average and also was second-best in basehits (6) and runs batted in (4). ...Loek van Mil was named MVP... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) Daan Hendrix took over from Veltkamp and got a runscoring force play-grounder by Dwayne Kemp that brought in Van der Meer. The hit was a possible double play-grounder to short stop Nick Urbanus, who slipped away after fielding the ball. He then made a great throw to second base to force out Boekhoudt and it almost ended in a double play, but the head-first sliding Kemp was safe at first base in a close play, which was even closer than the play at third base earlier in the inning. But this time, it was 1B Umpire Martijn Bosschaart who saw it correctly and made the right call. Moments later, Kemp was eliminated at first base in a pick-off to end the inning, but Neptunus now led 6-4! In the bottom of the ninth, the suspense builded again, as Amsterdam got one run back. Loek van Mil hit lead-off hitter Jesse Aussems with a pitch, then hit pinch-runner Norbert Jongerius advanced to second base on a grounder from pinch-hitter Danny Rombley. He moved to third base on a grounder from Remco Draijer, then scored on a single by Rashid Gerard. That brought Gilmer Lampe in the batter's box, who already had recorded three basehits in the game. Lampe make good contact and hit the ball into short centerfield, but there, veteran Shaldimar Daantji caught the ball to end the game, the Holland Series and the season! Afterwards, Loek van Mil was named Most Valuable Player of the Holland Series. In the opener, Van Mil had pitched 2 2/3 scoreless inning with three strikeouts and became the winning pitcher after Neptunus rallied in the ninth inning. In Game 3, he threw 1 2/3 inning in relief, but then gave up three hits and a run. In Game 4, he closed the game and struckout three hitters, while giving up two hits, in 2 1/3 inning to earn a save. Today, Van Mil threw the final 1 2/3 inning, struckout two hitters, gave up one hit and one run, but became the winning pitcher for the second time in the Series. The last time a reliever was named MVP in the Holland Series was in 2010. Back then, Neptunus also won the Series (4-2) against Amsterdam Pirates and reliever Dushan Ruzic then was named MVP after being the winning pitcher twice and earning one save in three appearances.

...Charles Urbanus... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) For the third time this Series, the bullpen of Amsterdam was unable to hold onto a lead. The first time was when Amsterdam took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning and was one out away from opening the Series with a win. But then, a 2-run single tied the score and a wild pitch gave Neptunus the win. That the opening loss was a big disappoinment was still visible two days later when Neptunus handed Amsterdam its biggest Holland Series-loss ever, a 12-0 shutout. In Game 3, a 2-0 lead was erased in the seventh inning, but Amsterdam, which trailed 3-2 after eighth, then had a 5-run rally in the ninth to win 7-3. And today, the team again led 4-2 entering the ninth inning. Just over a week before the start of the season, Amsterdam lost righthander starter Tom de Blok. He had signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers and played very well this year in his first professional Minor League-season. ,,I'm still very disappointed'', Amsterdam Head Coach Charles Urbanus said 'the day after'. ,,We gave away the lead and that wasn't the first time. In the first game, we played a really great game, played eight great innings, everything went our way, taking extra bases, running, hitting, pitching, everything. Yes, losing that game was a major blow for us!'' Winning Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma called the season one of many ups and downs. Before the season, the team lost starter Orlando Yntema, who had to undergo a serious surgery and appeared to out for the season. He returned to the mound in late July. In the first weeks of the season, closer Loek van Mil was sidelined for a long time with a back-injury. Outfielder Steven Wharwood sustained a leg-injury before the season, didn't play and was removed from the roster early July. Back-up catcher Brian Raap, who joined Neptunus shortly before the season, didn't play much, as he was recovering from an injury. He played in only seven games in the regular season. Late in the season, second baseman Benjamin Dille was sidelined twice with a leg-injury. Early May, first baseman Rien Vernooij suddenly announced his retirement. Also early May, the team added American lefthanded pitcher Trevor Reckling, who in the end didn't come to Rotterdam due to family-circumstances. In May, it also became clear that back-up catcher Shadrach Meulens was not returning this season. And in June and August respectively, the team lost outfielders Urving Kemp and Christian Diaz, due to provisional suspensions regarding to doping-controls. A week ago, the club had to say goodbye to club-icon and longtime first base coach Leen Staub. ...Ronald Jaarsma... (© Photo: Henk Seppen) On the other side, Neptunus also had some luck before the season when American Gregory Muller joined the team. He got a try-out during the exhibition season, was added to the active roster and Muller did very well. In 27 regular season-games, he batted .292 with one homerun, scored 21 runs and also batted in 21. In the Championship Pool, Mulled led the team with a .377 average, 23 basehits and six doubles. He scored 13 runs and batted in nine, while hitting one homerun. With his .377 average, Muller led the entire Championship Pool. However, the story of the season was of course Orlando Yntema. ,,This season was dedicated to the recovery of Orlando'', said Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma after winning the title. ,,This was the ideal conclusion of a strange season with a lot of negative moments. We have been trough a lot, lost several players, but the team grew more firm and we kept on fighting for each game. Our team-spirit remained good and that has become our greatest asset.'' ,,Yes, Amsterdam was surely the favorite during the season, but from the Play-Offs on, we were sharper. Their offense was better and got even stronger when Kalian Sams returned. We counted more on our pitching and defense'', said Jaarsma, for whom this was his first-ever Championship-title. ,,I've had to wait 22 years for this'', added Jaarsma, who finished in second place eight times as a player or coach combined during the Holland Series. Jaarsma played for Neptunus when the team was eliminated in the 1997 Play-Offs. A year later, he reached the Holland Series with Neptunus, but the team then lost to HCAW, Jaarsma's former club. He then returned to HCAW, which played in the Holland Series in six of the seven following years, but each time ended up short against Neptunus. In the lone year, HCAW didn't reach the Series in this span, it was eliminated in the Play-Offs (by Neptunus). As a coach at Amsterdam Pirates, he finished in second place in 2014 when Neptunus also won the title. Last year, Amsterdam also lost to Neptunus. However, Jaarsma then was no member of the coaching-staff during the Series, as he was discharged by Amsterdam less than a week before the Final began. Jaarsma had been approached by Neptunus for a coaching-position for this season and the Amsterdam-board decided to relief him honorably of his duties to avoid a conflict of interests. So, while Amsterdam then also finished in second place, Jaarsma was no part of it then.

In the regular season, Amsterdam Pirates led the league in several offensive categories, but dropped to second place in the last series of the season. However, the two teams were very much equal. Neptunus eventually led the league with a .326 batting average, closely followed by Amsterdam Pirates with .320. Neptunus also led in basehits (406), runs scored (279) and runs batted in (252). Amsterdam was second in all these categories with respectively 387, 274 and 239. (© Photo: Henk Seppen) Amsterdam led in homeruns (26) with Neptunus finished third (16) behind Hoofddorp Pioniers (18). Amsterdam also led in slugging average (.474), on-base percentage (.416) and walks (190). In these categories, it was Neptunus that finished second with .462, .411 and 171. Both teams also led in fewest strikeouts, Amsterdam with 131, Neptunus with 155. In fielding, it was Amsterdam that led with a .977 fielding average, double plays (39) and the least errors (31). Neptunus was third in fielding average (.966) and errors (47), behind HCAW in both categories (.968 and 45). Neptunus shared second place with HCAW in double plays (37). In pitching, Amsterdam had the best ERA with 2.46, followed by HCAW (3.09) and Neptunus (3.36). The Amsterdam-pitching also led in strikeouts (250), followed by Hoofddorp Pioniers (243), HCAW (206) and Neptunus (195). In the following Championship Pool (or Play-Offs), Neptunus led in batting average (.285), runs scored (108) and slugging average (.373). Amsterdam Pirates batted .281 (2nd), scored 103 runs (2nd), led in basehits (174, Neptunus had 173) and RBI's with 92 (Neptunus 90), had a .367 slugging average (2nd) and led in on-base percentage with .369 (Neptunus 2nd with .364). In homeruns, Neptunus was second (7) and Amsterdam third (5), as this category was led by Hoofddorp Pioniers (9). In fielding, Neptunus led in fielding average (.980) and fewest errors (13) with Amsterdam in second place with a .978 average and 15 errors. Neptunus also was better in pitching in the Championship Pool, as it led in ERA (2.75), strikeouts (116) and fewest hits allowed (134). Amsterdam was second with a 3.51 ERA, third in strikeouts with 96 and third in hits allowed with 167. However, the Amsterdam-staff walked only 38 batters, while the Neptunus-pitchers walked 73.

Below is a series of photos made by Henk Seppen ...Starting pitchers Kevin Heijstek (Amsterdam Pirates) and Orlando Yntema (Neptunus)... ...There was a brief rain-delay in the 1st inning... ...Amsterdam Head Coach Charles Urbanus and relief pitcher Dennis Burgersdijk take care of the mound... ...Left: Gilmer Lampe has reached 3rd base for Amsterdam after an RBI-single plus error in the 1st inning... ...Standing in front of him is 3rd baseman Dwayne Kemp, behind him is 3B Umpire Henri van Heijningen... ...Right: Max Clarijs puts down a foul bunt in the second inning... ...3B Jesse Aussems (left) collides with short stop Zerzinho Croes who fields the ball on a hit by Gregory Muller in the 3rd inning... ...Croes left the game the next inning with an injury... ...Left: Benjamin Dille is forced out by short stop Nick Urbanus in the 6th inning... ...Right: Amsterdam Pitching Coach Rob Cordemans has a talk with pitcher Kevin Heijstek and catcher Max Clarijs in the 7th... ...Left: Kyle Ward took over the pitching for Amsterdam in the 7th inning... ...Right: Shaldimar Daantji has slid into 3rd base in the 9th inning with 3B Rashid Gerard looking on... ...3B Umpire Henri van Heijningen has just made the safe-call... ...Left: Amsterdam short stop Nick Urbanus makes an out in the ninth inning... ...Right: Players and coaches of Neptunus celebrate the Championship-title... ...Left: Neptunus-pitcher Orlando Yntema with the Championship Trophy... ...Right: Neptunus Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma with the Gold Championship Medal... (© All Photos: Henk Seppen) Below is a series of photos made by Robert Bos ...Left: Head Coaches Charles Urbanus (Pirates) and Ronald Jaarsma (Neptunus) meet with Umpires René Ras (HP),... ...Martijn Bosschaart (1B), Stenar van Groningen Schinkel (2B) and Henri van Heijningen (3B) (right to left)... ...Right: René Ras was the Home Plate Umpire in what was his first Holland Series-game behind the plate... ...Starting pitchers Kevin Heijstek (Amsterdam Pirates) and Orlando Yntema (Neptunus)... ...Short stop Zerzinho Croes is about to field a ball, but 3B Jesse Aussems then collides and falls atop of him in the 3rd inning... ...Left: Short stop Zerzinho Croes is attended after the collision; Head Coach Charles Urbanus and players look on... ...Right: Neptunus 2nd baseman Benjamin Dille is about to field a ball in the 4th inning... ...Left: Gianison Boekhoudt makes contact for Neptunus in the 6th inning with Benjamin Dille running at 1st base... ...Right: Moments later, Dilled is forced out by short stop Nick Urbanus; in the back, 2B Jesse Aussems is lying on the ground... ...2B Umpire Stenar van Groningen Schinkel looks into the play... ...Left: In the 6th inning, Dwayne Kemp steals 2nd base after getting into a rundown after a pick-off... ...SS Nick Urbanus (left) awaits the ball, while 2B Jesse Aussems has collided with 1B Kenny Berkenbosch (right)... ...Looking on is 2B Umpire Stenar van Groningen Schinkel... ...Right: Linoy Croes scores the third run for Amsterdam in the sixth inning... ...Rightfielder Kalian Sams catches a fly hit by Jochem Koedijk in the top of the 7th (left),... ...then flies out himself moments later in the bottom of the 7th (right) with Gilmer Lampe at 1st base... ...Left: Loek van Mil closed the game for Neptunus and was named Holland Series MVP afterwards... ...Right: Shaldimar Daantji slides past 3B Rashid Gerard in the top of the ninth inning... ...Left: Eminent Neptunians Frans van Aalen and Cees de Bruin and other spectators look on during the tenseful 9th inning... ...Right: The players of Neptunus celebrate after the final out of the game... ...Left: Neptunus-catcher Gianison Boekhoudt lifts up Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma during the celebrations... ...Right: The disappointed players of Amsterdam Pirates congratulate the Neptunus-players with the title... ...Neptunus back-up catcher Brian Raap gives Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma a shower during the celebrations... ...KNBSB President Ron Schel (left), Boardmember Baseball Affairs Frits Mulder (center) & Executive Director Bart Volkerijk (right)... ...hand out Championship-Medals to Berry van Driel, Dwayne Kemp and Kevin Kelly... ...Left: Neptunus bat-boy Tony with his Championship Medal... ...Right: Neptunus Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma and his father Ron Jaarsma embrace each other during the celebrations... ...Left: Kevin Kelly, Gianison Boekhoudt, Daniel Fernandes and Gregory Muller with their Championship Medal... ...Right: Rookies Den Seelbach, Darryl Collins and Ruendrick Piternella with their Medals and the Championship Trophy... (© All Photos: Robert Bos)

L&D Amsterdam Pirates - Curaçao Neptunus 5-6 R H E Curaçao Neptunus 000 000 204 - 6 11 1 L&D Amsterdam Pirates 200 001 101 - 5 8 1 pitchers Neptunus inn. SO BB H R ER Orlando Yntema 7.1 5 3 7 4 3 Loek van Mil, W (2-0) 1.2 2 - 1 1 1 pitchers Pirates inn. SO BB H R ER Kevin Heijstek 6.2 1 - 8 2 2 Kyle Ward, BS (1), L (1-1) 1.2 - 1 3 4 4 Dennis Burgersdijk - (*) - 1 - - - Nick Veltkamp - (*) - 1 - - - Daan Hendrix 0.2 - - - - - (*) - Burgersdijk pitched to one batter in the ninth inning (**) - Veltkamp pitched to one batter in the ninth inning Box Score Play-by-Play Final Standings Holland Series Final Standings Champ. Pool Final Standings Season Scores Schedule Team Rosters Umpires: HP-René Ras, 1B-Martijn Bosschaart, 2B-Stenar van Groningen Schinkel, 3B-Henri van Heijningen. Official Scorer-Jeanette van Drunen. Play-by-Play Scorer-Huub Nelissen. Technical Commissioner-Johan Brandsma. Public Address Announcer-Richard de Wolff. Scoreboard Operator-Jolande Bierman. Starting Time-1:30 PM. Time Played-3:08 hrs. Site-Pirates Honkbalstadion, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam. Game Notes: Game Five, best-of-seven Holland Series 2017. One minute of silence before the game in honor of Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, who passed away on Thursday, October 5 at age 62. 8-minute rain-delay before the start of the bottom of the first inning. Neptunus wins Holland Series, 4-1 and is Dutch Champion. Neptunus wins fifth consecutive title and 18th in club-history. Loek van Mil (Neptunus) named Holland Series Most Valuable Player. Weather conditions at game time: Cloudy, 12,4° C (54,3° F); wind direction west-northwest; wind speed 27 kmh (16,8 mph); wind force 5 Bft; humidity 68%.

Thank you for visiting this site. Mail your suggestions and questions to stoov@wxs.nl Copyright © 1997-2017 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.